Royals lost this morning, for the first time in 2009 to a Meole Brace team who looked full of confidence and who outplayed the Stretton side. This result means that the league title goes to Shrewsbury Juniors and throws wide open the runners up spot.

Royals had the bear eleven players available for the game, with holidays and sickness preventing them from having any substitutes.

Royals played against the wind for the first half and despite this disadvantage, managed to take a 1-0 lead into the break. The goal came after 16 minutes when Weynberg found Moffat with a fine pass. Moffat then sent a through ball for Lewis to run on to, with the Royals striker firing home past the diving keeper.

Royals were able to soak up the pressure for the remainder of the first half but were lucky not to concede after Carless-Turland narrowly shot over the bar, 10 minutes before the break.

Despite having the breeze behind them in the second half, it was Meole Brace who were the more dangerous side. They wanted the ball more and passed the ball around in a way that the Royals could not match.

The equaliser came 9 minutes into the second half after Royals' defence were caught napping, allowing Meole's players to bulldoze their way through into the penalty area and fire home, to make the score
1-1.

As the second half went on Royals looked tired, whereas the substitutions that their opponents made enabled them to stay fresh.

The winning goal came from a long speculative shot and with keeper Keugler off his line, he was unable to prevent the ball hitting the back of the net.

Royals will need to pick themselves up after this defeat and with two league games remaining it is important that they try and get something from these games.

Team: Keugler, Agnew, Green, Al-Houbani, Smith, Miles, Weynberg, Fielding, Moffat, Lewis, Baker